When Horrendous started working on their fifth album, Philly’s filthiest and finest death metal band wanted to acknowledge the bombast of late ’80s and early ’90s heavy metal, while blazing a path forward into uncharted territory. They were awfully successful, too. With ‘Ontological Mysterium’, these guys made a classic of their own.
‘Ontological Mysterium’ is now streaming in full on our YouTube channel HERE.
Horrendous are also hosting a listening party for their new album on Bandcamp this Wednesday at 9 pm EST. Fans can listen to ‘Ontological Mysterium’ while chatting with members of the band. RSVP for the listening party HERE.
‘Ontological Mysterium’ is a labyrinth. The deeper in you go, the more this album twists and churns, luring you toward some monstrous final battle. The riffs on the title track slice like the blades of an Apache helicopter, while the battle cry that opens “Cult of Shaad’oah” will make you feel like you’re about to carve up a volcano full of giant, flaming snake warriors.
But ‘Ontological Mysterium has other surprises up its robe. “Preterition Hymn” is a lament for the weary that cascades like sweet, sweet tears. And with elastic bass, fluorescent synths, a jazzy ride cymbal and a finger-tapped guitar solo that will bring you to your knees, “Aurora Neoterica” is about as sleek and sexy as death metal gets.
“Somehow these guys can take Iron Maiden, mesh it with ’90s prog-influenced death metal masters like Atheist, dispense with traditional metal song structures and create something that you’ve never heard before,” writes Metal Injection.
Angry Metal Guy says: “Horrendous have knocked out another triumph of intelligent, sumptuous progressive death, cementing themselves as one of the most important death metal bands of the past decade.
Here’s what the band has to say about their new album: “We can’t believe the time has come to unveil ‘Ontological Mysterium’! An indescribable amount of determination, suffering, joy, and love went into this record, from the first seeds of writing in early 2019, through periods of extreme rethinking and revision over the pandemic lockdown, to the adrenaline-fueled, highly experimental, and at times circus-like recording sessions. We feel that this is the most “Horrendous” album yet – the one that best distills who we are and celebrates how far we’ve come on this continuing journey. We hope that you enjoy OM, and that it breathes some wonder into your life during these trying times“.
‘Ontological Mysterium’ will be released on August 18, 2023 by Season of Mist. Pre-save the album HERE. Pre-order it HERE.
Let your chariot ride!
Horrendous are on the cover of the September issue of Decibel magazine. Order a copy and get an exclusive limited edition The Silver flexi disc.
“After years of incredible support from Decibel Magazine, we are honored to make it to the cover of their next issue”, the band says. “Eternal thanks to Albert Mudrian for always believing in our music, Mike Wohlberg for all of his artistic contributions to the band, and Scott Kinkade for capturing us masterfully, and everyone out there who has supported us.”
Tracklist:
1. The Blaze (02:00)
2. Chrysopoeia (The Archaeology of Dawn) (07:16)
3. Neon Leviathan (03:30)
4. Aurora Neoterica (01:56)
4. Preterition Hymn (03:58) [LISTEN]
5. Cult of Shaad’oah (05:24) [WATCH]
6. Exeg(en)esis, (03:38)
7. Ontological Mysterium (04:44) [WATCH]
8. The Death Knell Ringeth (05:20)
Total run time: 37:44
“Surprises always come up during writing — spontaneous ideas pull you into new territory and enable the realization of novel possibilities that previously were inaccessible.”
Such are the words from Horrendous drummer Jamie Knox when discussing the creation of the band’s fifth full-length, the highly anticipated ‘Ontological Mysterium’. Knox’s quote also encapsulates Horrendous’s approach to extreme metal. Since 2009, the band has capably tapped into the inaccessible by providing a fresh, unconventional take on death metal that harnesses technical brilliance with elaborate, mind-melding melodies, frothy, spewing vocals and labyrinthine song structures. This combination has made each Horrendous long play a clinic in the gratifyingly unorthodox. The trend continues on Ontological Mysterium.
The follow-up to 2018’s Idol was recorded, mixed and mastered at Subterranean Watchtower Studios in Virginia, which doubles as the homestead of guitarist/vocalist Damian Herring. While the band (completed by guitarist/vocalist Matt Knox and bassist Alex Kulick) finished much of the songwriting for Ontological Mysterium in 2019, its recording was delayed by the 2020 global pandemic and various life events. Horrendous eventually finished recording in early 2022 and mastered the album before the start of 2023.
The album upholds Horrendous’s position as one of the underground’s best outside-of-the-box extreme metal bands. Having long abandoned concern whether people would appreciate their “uniqueness,” Horrendous has embraced its role as a band willing to veer far from death metal conventions, intentionally stretching and breaking norms. To wit, the band primarily views its music as filtered through a death metal lens. This may be Horrendous’s defining trait: By not accepting parameters, nothing is off-limits.
Lineup:
Damian Herring – Guitar, Vocals
Matt Knox – Guitar, Vocals
Alex Kulick – Bass
Jamie Knox – Drums
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